Crazy Chaotic
by Mija
Summary: So what's an out of work Librarian to do when she meets Loki, God of Lies,Mischief,and Chaos? Fall in love, what do you think? Loki/OC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I only own the stuff that I thought up. So sadly, Loki and any other familiar characters belong to someone else. ** * Sad Panda ***

Chapter 1

You know you are having a bad day when you think that painting your nails blue with sparkles will make you feel better. It didn't but my nails looked good. So, maybe watching a movie will help...I guess it depends on the movie, do I want to watch a chick flick? No, not really, I'd most likely just cry through the whole flipping movie, how about an action/adventure? Possibility, but which one?

She plopped her butt down in front of the DVD cabinet to look at her collection. Jasper had just received a couple of movies that she'd ordered online. One would qualify as a chick flick and the other was definitely action/adventure. She grabbed the action movie from the shelf and opened the plastic folder-like container to look at the action movie inside. She pondered for a minute and decided that she'd have to have ice cream and of course had none in the house. A trip to the store was needed and she also decided that she didn't care what she looked like. Jasper was wearing too big yoga/work out pants, which had never been worn to workout in, and an old gray t-shirt. Her uncontrollable brown curly hair was up in a very messy ponytail, bits of hair escaped confinement to create a hallo around her round face. She stood up, slipped her feet into flip-flops, and grabbed the keys to her gray Toyota, slung her over sized orange purse over her shoulder and headed out to the local Wally-World.

"Really?" she screeched as she got almost mowed down by a huge SUV, that was trying to grab the same parking spot she was, even though she'd been waiting for the little old lady in her boat sized caddy to pull out. Of course the tank won, "Jerk!" Jasper yelled.

She finally found a spot that wasn't a two mile hike away, and after practically having to beat her way to the ice cream section, through all the kids, locals that were taking their sweet time, and Canadian tourists she'd managed to score a pint of B and J's Milk and Cookie Ice Cream. Jasper got back to her car and started home without any major incident. She turned on the radio and sang along to the music and as she was about halfway home, Jasper's cell rang. She let it go to voice mail and wondered who would be calling. All her friends were at work, her parents lived in Florida and never called her cell, Jasper's sisters only called when they needed something and never called, texting was their way of communication, she thought to herself. Jasper got home, parked in the garage and made her way into the duplex apartment. She stowed the ice cream and Dr Pepper that was a last minute purchase in the freezer and fridge, respectively. Jasper dialed up the voice-mail on the cell and listened.

"Jasper, it's Dad, just called to say hi," She heard some murmuring in the background,"Well, not just to say hi. Your grandmother is very sick and we don't think she is going to make it. Is there any way you can come down?" Jasper almost dropped the phone, shock ran through her body, sadness, and grief filled her heart. Her father continued, "We can pay for your ticket, call me as soon as you get this. I love you."

She hung up, he hadn't mentioned her sisters and wondered if he'd called them already. She dialed her father's number and waited for his familiar voice to answer. He answered after the second ring. "Hi honey," he hurried on before Jasper could even say hello "She wants to see you, so you need to come home as soon as you can. Do you have some vacation time?"

"Well actually I'm kind of in between jobs now." She paused a moment before continuing, "The library let a bunch of us go."

"Cut-backs? Are you okay for money? Can you pay your bills?"

"Of course" She answered laconically, "And yes I'm okay for money, most of my paycheck went into savings, and I'm getting unemployment at the moment. But I think they will hire me back soon." She crossed her fingers as she fibbed. "Change of subject, did you call Crystal and Opal?"

"Yes, they both know and will be coming down as soon as they can, but your grandmother asked specifically for you. I get the feeling she has something for you." My father replied, sounding like he had a frog in his throat. She could tell that he was getting choked up.

"Okay, I'll be ready to leave in the morning, you should be able to get me tickets for an early flight. I better get packed up."

My dad cleared his throat, "I already got the ticket, the wonders of the internet don't you know."

After a few more minutes of talking, they hung up. She stayed on the couch for a couple of minutes thinking of what needed to be done. She could have her neighbor water her plants and collect her mail. The bills were already paid for this month, so no worries there...need to pack. Jasper jumped up and headed to her bedroom.

After a few hours of searching for everything she needed and packing. She set everything by the back door of her apartment, one big suitcase and a small carry on. She looked at the clock on the microwave, it was late and the movie watching mood she was in earlier had passed. Jasper was exhausted mentally and physically. During the packing frenzy she had managed to go over to the next door neighbor and tell her what was going on, she'd readily agreed to take care of the plants and get the mail. She'd also offered to take Jasper to the airport. Kathy was an older lady, a widow, her husband had died a few years past. She had no children, but her apartment looked almost like a jungle. She had more plants then Jasper did and called them her babies. A few of Jasper's own plants had started out as cuttings from Kathy's flora collection. Green thumb my ass, she had a green arm! Jasper's plants would be in heaven and would most likely be three times the size by the time she returned.

She padded towards her room thinking of maybe doing a little reading before going to sleep and was half way to her room when she heard the sound of laughter...male laughter. It was crystal clear and there was no mistaking what it was. There were no men in the building. Jasper searched her small apartment, the T.V was off, no radio playing. It stopped after a couple of minutes as she was looking out her front door at the sidewalk that passed in front of her apartment.. It was to late for her to knock on Kathy's door, she always went to bed early. She wouldn't have heard it. Wow, I'm losing it, hearing things, Jasper thought to herself, then went to her room and shut and locked the door for good measure.

The next morning she was up way earlier then was normal, Jas showered , dressed, did something with her hair, and even put a little make-up on. She dressed for moderate comfort and easy movement, in a pair of loose camo green capri pants, a black v-neck shirt with elbow length sleeves, and a pair of easy slip on sandals. It was way to early for her to eat anything, but she forced herself to eat a granola bar and have a glass of orange juice. She was just putting her washed glass away when she heard Kathy at the back door. "Good Morning, are you ready?"

Jas opened the door. "Good Morning to you! Yeah I'm ready, and thank you again for taking me to the airport. I would have had to take a cab. And we all know how much I hate taking a cab! Do you want some OJ?"

"Oh no, I've had my breakfast already, you know me, early to bed early to rise!" She replied with a grin. Her straight graying red hair, was pulled back into a loose braid.

"Uh-huh, I still think you are crazy, but whatever floats your boat honey. It is way too early." Jasper laughed,"I'm ready when you are." She grabbed her orange over the shoulder purse and rolling suitcase as Kathy grabbed the carry on. They loaded up her car and headed out.

The streets were quiet this early in the morning and for the first few minutes the two women were too, then Jasper remembered the strange laughter the night before. "Hey Kathy, did you happen to hear anything strange last night? Other then me almost falling down the stairs?" Jasper had been in the basement to retrieve her large suitcase and on the way up the stairs, she'd lost her balance. That would teach her to try and carry a suitcase almost as tall as herself.

She chuckled, "No actually I didn't, but you yelling, "I'm okay" I heard that!"

The younger woman grinned as she responded,"Hmm, okay, then I must be hearing things..."

"What do you mean?" She asked,as she stopped at a red light. Kathy glanced at the Jasper.

"I heard a man laughing. I checked my whole apartment, the T.V was off and so was the radio. In fact I checked outside too. It was very happy sounding laughter, kind of maniacal actually." She said with a slight frown, watching the landscape pass by. Maybe she had just imagined it, she had been really tired and rather stressed out.

"Who knows maybe your place is haunted." Kathy replied with a chuckle. "The building is pretty old, you never know. I'll keep an ear out for anything strange while you are gone."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. The more I think about it, the more I think I just imagined it. I was really tired and I'd just found out that my Grandmother was very sick."

They continued the rest of the trip in a comfortable silence, then Kathy pulled up to the airport drop off point. Jasper checked her purse and made sure her ipod and ear buds where easily reachable. When the car stopped, she opened the car door and stepped out.

Two hours later...

Jasper settled herself in the window seat that her father had thoughtfully procured for her. She couldn't stand aisle or middle seats .She'd been smacked in the elbow so many times by the damn beverage cart, she sometimes wondered if she was permanently bruised. She'd stowed her carry on bag and her purse was under the seat in front of her. Her ipod was in her pocket along with the ear buds, she thought about grabbing her Kindle, but decided she would wait for take off. She knew she would get in trouble if she pulled out anything electronic before take off. And that was the last thing she needed, to have the flight attendants pissed off at her. She could see it now, "Could I have a bottle of water?...No water for you! The attendant would respond. Damn water Nazi! She laughed to herself, the man sitting next to her looked at her like she had grown a pair of horns, then turned back to his attempts to put his seat-belt on. She rolled her eyes, then slipped her own seat-belt on, then reached up and adjusted the air conditioner vent directly on her. For goodness sakes, could this thing be any slower.

Three hours later...

The plane was in the air and she was about a quarter of the way through her P.C Cast book, and her ipod blaring in her ears was just loud enough to drown out the snoring from the guy sitting next to her, but not so loud she couldn't hear any announcements. She looked at the window for a minute and saw that they were above the clouds, she was terrified of heights, but she forced herself to continue looking out the window. After a few minutes of staring at the clouds, she turned back to what she was reading. She had just started to read again when something caught her attention. She turned to look back out the window to her right, there was someone crouching on the wing of the plane! She blinked and shook her head, she had to be seeing things. There was no way there was someone on the wing. She looked back out the window and he was still there. She wondered what would happen if she screamed and pointed? Would the attendants come running? Would the guy sleeping and just starting to drool wake up? She decided not to scream, she closed her eyes, then looked at him again. He was wearing a cape for one thing, it was a beautiful shade of green, his hair was black, she couldn't really tell what he was wearing beside the cape, but it looked like there was some leather involved, but his shoulders wear covered in what looked like gold shoulder pads. She began to wonder if she was asleep, she pinched herself as hard as she could. Nope, he was still there, just crouched down on the wing of the plane, she stared at him unbelieving what her eyes were showing her. Then he turned his gaze at her and smiled. She felt her heart almost stop. Holy crap! His eyes were so bright, she could see that they were bright green almost like green glass. And he was staring at her with a very mischievous look in those bright green eyes. He laughed and she could hear it. How the in the nine hells could she hear it? He was outside on the wing of the plane. She heard the clear ring of his laughter peal through her mind. It was the same laughter she'd heard in her apartment. He winked at her then jumped off the wing. She jumped up out of her seat, bumping her head on the bulkhead of the plane. "Ouch!" The guy next to her snorted as he woke up. He looked at her with sleepy bleary eyes, then looked around as if making sure no one heard him snort. Jasper rubbed her head as she sat back down in her seat. Her action brought the attention of one of the flight attendants, she looked concerned and asked, "Are you okay?"

Jasper continued to rub her her head, "Yeah, I'm okay. I don't know what happened, I completely forgot about the bulkhead, and I really have to go to the ladies room." She lied her ass off, she didn't have to go to the bathroom and hated using airplane bathrooms. She couldn't tell the lady that there had been a hot guy with a green cape on the wing of the plane. That might get her a quick trip to a mental institution as soon as they landed. And she so didn't need that. She squeezed her way out into the aisle and moved toward the bathroom. She locked herself in and looked at herself in the mirror. Nope she still looked normal, nothing different. Her head still hurt like hell, but she didn't find any blood, which was a good thing. She checked her make-up and decided it was fine, regardless she couldn't do anything if it wasn't all her make-up was in her carry on. She grinned at herself in the mirror and turned to unlock the door. She pulled on the handle and found that it wouldn't open. She turned the lock again to occupied, then turned it again and of course it didn't open.

"Are you fucking joking! Really? I'm not going to spend the rest of this damn flight stuck in the bathroom!" She started pounding on the door.

"Hello, can anyone hear me? The door is stuck and I can't get it open!" No response came. "Someone please help me!"

"Such an unpleasant little room",drawled an unfamiliar male voice.

Jasper froze in place. Holy crap there was a guy in the room with her! How in the world did that happen? Trap door? No way, impossible. She braced herself and turned slowly. "Fuck a duck!" She exclaimed. It was the green cape wearing guy. And he was smirking at her. His eyes were so clear and beautiful that her mouth fell open in awe.

"Hmm, fucking a duck is not my idea of fun. Thank you very much, but I'll have to decline." Green-eyes replied with a smirk.

"Okay, that's great...Uhh, may I ask who you are?" She stammered, pressing herself against the door.

"I'm hurt, you don't know who I am? Have you been living under a rock for the past few months?" A slight, mocking smile on his lips.

Jasper had no clue who he was, "I'm sorry but I really don't know who you are and no I haven't been living under a rock, just under a pile of books. I don't watch T.V or read new papers. T.V rots your brain unless it's a documentary and the local paper's grammar is horrible. I spend more time editing then actually reading the articles." She shrugged.

The man in green smiled mischievously, "I am Loki, God of Mischief, Lies, and Chaos."

She didn't know what to do at this point, was he serious? She knew that there were beings, super heroes in the world, but her life had revolved around books and the library. Of course she knew who the Norse God Loki was, but this person standing in front of her claimed that he was Loki. She decided that she needed to get the hell out of the room because the man was obviously a lunatic. She started banging on the door again and pulling on the handle, "Help, please! Open the door!"

"Really, there is no need for the caterwauling. Cease your hysterics!" Loki demanded sternly. "I'm not going to harm you. But if you do not stop your wailing I will be forced to silence you."

Jasper straightened abruptly as she turned to face him again, "Oh really? And how are you going to do that, sew my lips closed, take away my voice magically? Or maybe you could just tell me why I am locked in this damn bathroom with you? You obviously did this for some reason. Tell me why? Maybe then I'll stop my hysterics!"

"So ungrateful you are. Isn't obvious, I'm answering your call for help. Now, my lady please step aside for but a moment and I will unlatch the door."

Jasper moved away from the door, keeping her eyes on Loki all the while. She couldn't move to far away because the room was the size of a flipping closet and was basically straddling the toilet. Well, either the rest of the plane would be on the other side, possibly a couple of perplexed looking flight attendants or a sharp drop to the ground far below, but one never knew with Loki, at least according to Norse Mythology. The more she thought about it, she did remember vaguely someone saying that New York City was almost destroyed. She didn't know if that made her a bad person for not thinking about it, but the little town she lived in, news from the big city didn't get passed around much. But then of course the fact that the only show and channels she watched with any regularity was Ghost Hunters and The Cooking Channel. She watched as Loki leaned past her and opened the door. He turned to her with a slight smirk and went through the open door.

Jasper stepped toward the open door and stuck her head out. She looked down the aisle and could see a blonde flight attendant standing in the aisle; she seemed to be frozen in place. In fact no one else was moving, the plane was completely silent except for the sound of the engines. She stepped out into the plane proper, Loki was standing in the little galley off the aisle with an amused grin. She looked back out at the silent aircraft. "I know this is a stupid question and you most likely won't give me a straight answer, why are you doing this?"

"You would be correct in the assumption that I would not give you a straight answer for the most part, however I will give you a partial answer...It amuses me at the moment." He responded, crossing his arms across his chest.

She watched as his very nicely shaped arms cross of his wide chest, wondering if he could read her mind. Well, he claimed to be a god. If he could, he would definitely see that she found him completely drool worthy.

Loki moved his eyes over her body appreciatively, "I wouldn't think to call some I found attractive drool worthy, it seems rather a crude description, but I will accept it as the compliment it is meant to be."

Jasper decided at that very moment, that she wanted to crawl into a deep dark hole. She felt her face go beet red. She thought she could feel the blush in her toes and looked up at the ceiling of the plane. Great, she thought, he can read my mind. "Do you think you could maybe, not do that, the reading my mind thing? I would really appreciate that." She tried not to think about how his green eyes and how absolutely gorgeous they were. It didn't work of course. Loki grinned, then straightened.

"Because you asked ever so politely, I will acquiesce." He brushed past her, to stand next to the cart that the attendant had been in the process of pushing back to the galley. Loki waved a hand in front of the woman's face, then snapped his fingers. The plane came back alive as if nothing happened and the cart and the attendant passed through Loki's tall form. He grinned mischievously back at Jasper, then disappeared only to reappear behind her.

She inhaled a quick breath as she felt him lean close and whisper in her ear, "Most of the time."

Jasper turned to face him, only to find that he was nowhere near her ear. He was standing a couple of feet away, with the now familiar mischievous grin.

A/N- Just so you know, I haven't written anything in forever and hope it's not to horrible. And another thing, constructive criticism is all well and good, but I'm doing this for fun. Flames will be used for roasting something for me to eat or most likely ignored. Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer-I don't anything except for the stuff that came out of my head.

Jasper blinked. At that moment she felt as if she'd just stepped into the Twilight Zone. "That's great, I think I'm going to go back to my seat now and try to imagine that this isn't happening to me."

Loki watched her slowly make her way back to her seat and smiled. This was going to be fun. And he was almost desperate for some amusement. After the whole try-to-take-over-world bit, subsequent punishment, and banishment, things had been a little on the boring side for him. He'd decided to explore his new home, he'd gone to all of the major cities and explored to his heart's content. Of course S.H.E.I.L.D., hadn't been to happy about that, but he'd promised to keep out of trouble. And he did, most of the time. Occasionally he'd let his naughty side come out and play, nothing that would draw their attention, but amusing none the less.

His attention returned to the mortal woman, she'd made it back to her seat. He wasn't sure yet what about her really drew his attention. He wondered if she knew that there was a very strong shield around her house. Almost like a bubble, yellow, red, blue, and green, with a touch of purple. He could always search her mind, he hadn't really promised to stay out of her mind. He let his mind brush her's and smirked. Oh yes she knew it was there, she had erected it. Well, that was interesting. Apparently she had some form of magical ability; it seemed to be elemental-based. As he continued to move through her thoughts, he picked up a few stray things, nothing of any real then something stopped him. A bubble, the same colors as the shield around her home. He tentatively probed the bubble. It wasn't solid, but he couldn't pass through it. Loki didn't want to push any harder and alert her to his presence.

"To late for that don't you think?"

He couldn't prevent the smile that came to his lips as he heard Jasper's voice echo through his head.

"I do apologize for intruding, but I was curious about something and.."

Jasper interrupted, "You were curious, well, honestly this is the first time I've ever had a mental conversation. Well, that's not really true, but that doesn't change the fact you invaded my mind! If you want to know something, just ask."

Hmm, that had some interesting possibilities. He wanted to know about this form of magic she could manipulate. However, this aircraft was not the most comfortable place to hold a conversation. So he blinked her and himself off the craft.

Jasper had just sat down and put her seat belt on. And after her little mental communication with Loki she rubbed her eyes and leaned her head back on the headrest with a sigh, thinking the whole thing was over for that moment, when she suddenly felt as if she were completely weightless. It only lasted for a couple seconds, She opened her eyes and saw that she was no longer on the plane, but was on a sun drenched beach. Sapphire blue water lapping at the shore and Loki stood just a couple feet away. She lost her balance and fell down on her butt in the soft sand. "Jezz Loiuse!"

Loki ambled towards her with a grin, "Isn't this so much better then that stuffy flying contraption? Of course it is..."

"I hate to interrupt you during your monologue, but would you help me up?" Jasper squinted at him.

"Oh I suppose I could." He appeared in front of her, grabbing both of her hands and lifted her easily from the sand.

"Thank you." She shaded her eyes as she looked up and down the beach, then turned towards the nearby jungle, as she brushed her pants off. "May I ask where we are?"

"Oh, just a little island in the Caribbean, uninhabited."

"Wonderful, what do you want?"

"I have questions that need answering."

Jasper slowly turned to face him, "Really...You do realize, and I do apologize for stating the obvious,

you didn't have to bring me to a deserted island to ask me a few questions."

Loki could tell that the woman standing in front of him was about to, as the saying goes, lose it.

He found that comical.

She moved a couple steps closer and said in a very soft, but almost menacing tone, "Loki, I'm trying very hard not to lose my temper, but it's becoming very difficult. I will ask again, but this time I would like a straight answer. What do you want?"

Loki smirked as he circled around Jasper, his hands clasped behind his back, "All right, I'll come straight to the point. But first a little background. I've been exploring..." he paused for a moment, "my new home. And I came across a very interesting sight as I was exploring your town. A bubble of elemental energy surrounding your abode. I found that intriguing..."

Jasper interrupted, "So you mean to tell me that you've kidnapped me because you are curious about the shielding around my house." She rolled her eyes. "You could have knocked."

He smiled, "Yes, I suppose I could have, but what's the fun in being predictable. So tell me, what is this form of magic you are using?"

She sighed and wasn't sure how to answer him. She's known he was poking around in her head earlier and figured that because he was a god, he would be able to see everything. At first it really annoyed her, but then she'd felt him hit her personal shielding. Well, not hit, probe, gently. She decided that she'd be honest. She had nothing to be ashamed of. "I'm a Witch; I follow the Wiccan religious system. It's earth based and we use personal and elemental energy. Of course that is a simplified explanation...And by the look on your face, you have no idea what I'm talking about. Of course you don't know what I'm talking about"

Loki, rubbed his chin as he thought about her words, yes he understood using elemental and personal energy. In a way, he did the same, but he'd never heard of the term Wiccan. Very interesting. He wanted more information and decided that the easiest and fastest way to learn about it would be to read her mind again. Without a second thought, he sent his mind into hers again, but this time, pierced the bubble that surrounded her thoughts. And came to a sudden stop as he hit another wall, this time it was a solid fixture. More like steel. He had the feeling that this one would be harder to pierce. He thought about it for a couple seconds, then jerked in surprise as he was unceremoniously tossed out. Him!

"What the hell do you think you are doing? Stay out of my head!" Jasper's chest rose in vexation; having to toss a god out of her head took a lot of energy. Not that she'd ever came across a god in the flesh. She wondered if she might pass out, she wasn't sure, but the graying out of her vision

may have been an indication of it.

Loki was shocked, so shocked that he stared at the woman, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He couldn't believe that a mortal was able to oust him so easily...her cheeks were blushed red with indignation for a few moments and her eyes spit fire. Loki had to admit that she was an attractive mortal as he eyed her chest appreciatively as it heaved. He then watched with wide eyes as her face went completely pale, her eyes fluttered, and she crumpled ungracefully to the white sand.

A/N- yes it's kind of short chapter, but it is what it is. Hope you enjoyed it regardless.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Loki sighed, the scenario wasn't turning out as he'd planned. He had high hopes, learning a new form of magic was definitely worth his time, but he wondered if learning from this mortal was the way to go about it. Yes, she was attractive and mildly amusing but that didn't matter in the long run. He gazed down at the woman, his eyes running over her full bust, down her torso, and her legs. She didn't seem to be injured by her fall, but being in the sun was most likely not good for her. He reached down and picked her up, then blinked over to a small grove of trees. He laid her back down under a palm tree of sorts, then straightened her arms and legs. He sat next to her in the sand, bringing up his knees to his chest.

He listened to her breathing and her heart, both seemed to be fine, then delved into her mind again. He figured while she was unconscious, that maybe he would have an easier time of finding the information he wanted. Loki knew that he was going against her wishes, but he wanted to know. He didn't go deep into her mind, just skimmed the surface and was surprised to find the bubble was still there. He pushed slightly on it's surface, it yielded a little, but didn't burst. No, he wouldn't go any farther. She had to be injured in someway, or maybe she had used up to much energy. He would wait for her to wake naturally.

Jasper felt as if she were floating. Her mind felt slightly muffled but she figured she was okay, she flexed her fingers and felt...sand? The floating feeling went away as she remembered what happened. Damn that man! He just couldn't keep his mental fingers out of her mind. She slowly opened her eyes, hoping that she was ready to face the music, as the saying goes.

"You are finally awake." Loki drawled. "I was beginning to wonder if you had fallen into some sort of coma."

She squinted her eyes as she maneuvered herself up to her elbows. The sun was just starting to set and it colored the sky in front of her with red, purple, gold, and pink. It was a beautiful sight. She sighed as she opened her eyes fully and sat up completely. Her head swam for a few seconds, then stilled after she took a deep breath. "How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours." He stood, brushing the sand off his cape.

"Wonderful. I'm sure my parents are freaking out right now." She started to reach into her pocket, reaching for her cell phone, then she remembered she'd left it in her purse, which of course was on the plane. She let out a sigh. "So is there anyway we could maybe finish this conversation later? Maybe after we get to civilization?"

"Why would I do that? I don't want distractions. I want answers. Are you well enough to stand?" He held out his hand to her.

She took it and let him pull her up. She held on to his very nicely muscled arm for a few seconds, then responded with a crooked smile,"Looks like it."

"Good, now how did you learn this form of magic?"

"I can explain some of it, but it's not just magic power. Well not for us, the followers of Wicca. There are rules, there is religion, and faith involved. It can't be all wrapped up into a book and taught as you think." She paused for a few seconds before continuing, she gazed into his eyes, "I have to get home now. My grandmother is very ill. If you take me to my family, I will tell you as much as I can, but there are somethings I can't teach you. Honestly I think it's kind of funny that one of the gods wants me to tell them about my religion."

Loki chose to ignore the religion part of the conversation, but he tucked the little tidbit of information away for future thought. He pondered her offer, she wasn't lying that much was for certain, she would tell him about her knowledge, but would she show him everything, that was the question. "I agree to your proposition"

"Wonderful, now if you would please..."

Loki pulled her into his arms mid-sentence and teleported them both Jasper's family home. He looked down at her stunned face and chuckled. He held her close to him until he was sure she could stand on her own.

Jasper blinked. She wasn't sure if she liked the transporting thing, it was rather disconcerting. And how the heck did he know where she lived? Jasper pondered that for a few seconds, then she felt and heard Loki's low laugh. She looked up into his brilliant eyes, he was laughing at her, but she could tell there was no malice in it. She grinned, "As pleasant as this is, I think I should go see to my family. I'm not sure if it's the right time for my family to see..."

"Jasper...honey , are you okay" Her father, Joshua stood just inside the open front door of the two story colonial house. His eyes moved to Loki and back to her.

"Yeah Dad, I'm fine. I'm sorry if I worried you." She grinned sheepishly at Loki, then moved out of his arms and toward her father. She could see her mother behind her father and smiled. She ran the last few steps into her father's arms.

"I'm so sorry I worried you guys,"She said repeated tearfully. "Are Opal and Crystal here yet? Is Granny okay"

She moved away from her father only to be enveloped in her mother's arms. Just then she heard her younger sisters yelling from upstairs. "Yup they're here." Her mother, Janice replied fondly.

"And your grandmother is in her room laying down. The doctors say that she has cancer and it's in the last stages. She's refused anymore medication and chemo." His voice cracked, but he continued, "She's holding on...for how long I don't know. She told me that as soon as you got here, before you did anything else, you were to go to her."

Jasper took a deep breath, then turned to Loki, who had moved closer to the porch, "Mom, Dad, this is my friend Loki." She turned back to her parents, "I'm going up."

She ran through the foyer and up the stairs. She slowed to a walk as she got closer to her grandmother's door. If her granny found out she was running through the house, Jasper would be in BIG trouble. She ran her hands over shirt and capris, making sure there was no left over sand. When she got to the door, Jasper took a breath, then she reached her hand to the door knob and raised her other hand to knock.

"Come in, Jasper love" Her grandmother's voice rang out from inside the room. Her grandmother must have heard her running up the stairs.

Just before Jasper opened the door, her youngest sister popped her head out from her room and blew her a kiss. She whispered,"Come see us when you are done, then you can tell us who the hunk is."

Jasper winked at her baby sister, then opened and entered the room.

Loki wasn't sure what to do, Jasper's parents were both looking at him expectantly. He sighed inwardly, then smiled in what he hoped was a non-threatening way, "I am the one to blame for your lovely daughter's disappearance. I do apologize for any worry it may have caused. We were talking and lost track of time and had to take a later flight."

Janice smiled as she stepped past her husband, "Yes we were worried but our Jasper is a strong lady and can handle herself. If she trusts you enough to call you friend, that is enough for us." She glanced at her husband before continuing."We recognized you from the news, so we know who you are. We've been watching for her, we saw you both appear out of nowhere. So, really there is no need to lie."

"But it is one of my specialties," He bowed dramatically, with a broad smile, "as I am the God of Lies."

"Wonderful, come in the house, we're letting in all the mosquitoes." Joshua grabbed Loki's arm and pulled him in the house, shutting the door behind him.

Loki stumbled ungracefully into the foyer of the house. He glared at the mortal male. He could not believe the...cheek these mortals had. Treating him like he was some sort of wayward child! He would not stand for it, just as he was about to open his mouth, Janice walloped her husband on the arm.

"I can't believe you just did that! He is a guest in this house and a friend of our daughter. How would you like it if I yanked you around, you big bully!"

Joshua rubbed his arm in an attempt to relieve the pain. His wife was a strong lady, but then being a Geologist, she kind of had to be. She wasn't the type that was in the lab much.

Loki was stunned, he watched in total shock as the five foot three woman gave the six foot tall man the what-for.

"But honey..."

"Don't you honey me, that was rude, you need to apologize!"

Jasper's father turned to Loki ruefully, "Well, I better apologize or I'll be sleeping on the couch! I am sorry for dragging you into the house. Even if you were letting in the bugs."

Loki wasn't sure how to respond, his legendary "Silver tongue" left him for a moment. He smiled graciously, giving them both a slight bow, "I accept your apology and offer one of my own...again." Janice interrupted.

"No more apologies, Come sit, I'm sure the girls will be down sometime in the near future. Would you like some tea or coffee?"

A/N- I'll be updating at least once a week. Thank you to those who have add my story to to their favorite list and alerts. Hope you continue to enjoy.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jasper opened the door, stepped in and closed the door behind her. Her grandmother, Ingrid, lay on the bed, with a light sheet covering her. Pillows bolstered her into a sitting position.

"Come, sit here on the bed, we have much to talk about my dear." Ingrid patted the bed next to her.

The younger woman smiled in greeting to her granny as she moved around to the other side of the bed, kicking her shoes off along the way. She climbed onto the soft bed and settled into a semi-lotus position. "Granny, why didn't you say anything? Why.."

Ingrid interrupted, "Because it was my burden to bare, not yours or anyone else in the family. You all had your own trials and tribulations to deal with. Why would I add mine to your back, but that's not what I wanted to talk about."

Jasper reached her hand out to her grandmother, taking the old woman's soft aged hand in her own, "Okay, what do you need to tell me?"

Ingrid sighed, "I'm not sure where to start. I've thought about how I would tell you this for a few years."

"Tell me what, just say it!"

"My dear, this isn't something that I can just blurt out, there is a lot of background involved, family history."

"Grandmother..."

"Always the impatient one, that may be your downfall. Ah well, I have no more time to wait, I must tell you now." She reached up to her neck and pulled out from around her throat a gold necklace, with a rather large pendant, at least a couple of inches wide and three inches long, of a black bird. The bird was holding a golden stone in it's talons.

Jasper had never seen the necklace before and was rather surprised that her grandmother would wear something so dark. Heck it was something you'd picture some goth kid wearing, not a seventy year old woman. She bit her tongue and waited for an explanation.

"This has been entrusted to the women of our family by the gods, the Goddess Sif, by way of Odin, the All-Father. The Goddess Sif was given this necklace to protect...No I must start with the history of the necklace. You remember the Valkyries?" At Jasper's nod, she continued. "There was a Valkyrie who took a human man as a lover. He was a prince of some regard, but not much of a warrior. As you know the Valkyrie search for warriors who have died in battle and take them to Valhalla to rest and feast until the Ragnarok comes. The Valkyrie named Kára, fell in love with the prince. His name is unimportant right now. Kára found out that her lover was ill and wanted to bring him to Valhalla, which of course was forbidden. She tried anyway and was quickly found out, her prince was sent back to our world, Midgard and the Valkyrie Kára was sentenced to be destroyed. The All-Father for some unknown reason gave this task to Sif. The Goddess was a warrior of renown, but she wasn't an executioner. She took pity on the fallen Valkyrie and instead of killing her outright, she created this prison for her, until such time that maybe a way could be found to free her."

Jasper blinked, unsure of what to say, so she said nothing and waited for her grandmother to continue. And continue she did. Ingrid explained that for some reason or another, Sif felt it necessary to entrust the necklace to a sect of priestesses in what is now Norway. As a sign of their covenant, any of the priestess that became the guardian of the necklace, a streak of golden blonde hair appeared in said priestess's hair. Over the centuries, the group of priestess dwindled down to one family, so the necklace was passed down from mother to daughter or in some cases grandmother to granddaughter. And now, the artifact was to be given to Jasper. As she was the oldest and the fact that she worshiped the Gods and Goddesses of the Norse was a plus. She was Wiccan, but was of the Norse tradition. She would be the next guardian of the necklace.

Ingrid settled back on her pillows, she could see that her granddaughter was trying to absorb this new information and that is wasn't easy. Being told that her grandmother was ill, then being told that she was to be the next protector of an ancient artifact was kind of overwhelming.

Jasper's mind was racing. How did she never see it? Why her? Could she handle it? Almost immediately, her brain provided answers, because granny didn't tell you. Because she was the only one that could do it. And yes she could handle it. She had to, there was no choice. Her sisters, while good women, they followed the Christian path. They had sat at their grandmother's knee to listen to the stories of the Norse Gods and Goddesses, just as Jasper had. Regardless of their grandmother's lessons, they chose to go another way. Jasper shook her head to stop that line of thought. She would do her best to protect the necklace and that's all she could do. She knew her strengths and her weaknesses.

Her eyes snapped back to her grandmother's, "What do I need to do?"

Ingrid reached around her neck to unclasp the necklace, as she removed it from her neck and handed it to her granddaughter, the golden streak in her hair, that had always remained unmarred by silver; went completely gray. She watched as Jasper put the necklace on and watched as her dark brown hair became colored with one golden strip of hair, just as if someone took a paintbrush to the three inch wide length of hair. She felt her body relax again, her eyes fell closed on their own as she feel asleep.

Jasper felt the weight of the necklace around her neck, but other then the heaviness of the pendant, she felt no difference. Was there supposed to be something, she wondered? She looked down at her grandmother and was surprised to see her asleep. She smiled as she carefully climbed off the bed. The young woman moved around to the other side of the bed, then leaned down to kiss her grandmother's forehead and adjust the sheet. Jasper went to the large dresser to look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes widened in shock, a wide strip of her curly brown hair was blonde. Holy crap! What were her parents going to say? Her granny had told her that her hair would change, not to mention she'd watched her Granny Ingrid's hair change right in front of her. But to actually see it on her on head, it was definitely a surprise. She reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear, she couldn't hide it. She sighed. Oh well, nothing to do about it now. She picked up her shoes as she made her way out of the room, then suddenly remembered, there was a god downstairs.

"Damn, what am I going to go about Loki?" She opened the door, stepped out into the hall, and shut the door quietly behind her.

"Jasper..." Joshua, her father was standing at the top of the stairs. He stared at the strip of golden colored hair. "Sweetheart, did you and your grandmother have a hair dyeing session?"

"No dad, I'll tell you later." Jasper said with a grin. "How is everything going downstairs? Is Loki okay?"

Jas moved closer to the stairs.

"Oh sure, he's fine. He's charmed your mother that's for sure. So are we going to hear the real story behind this whole thing? What did my mother want to give you?"

Jasper paused, her grandmother hadn't said that she couldn't tell anyone, but could she tell Loki? Heck, he may already know. Maybe he was the reason the Goddess Sif hid the necklace. According to the stories, they didn't get along at all, but she decided she would wait. "I have a lot of things to tell you, but like I just said, I'll tell you later. Let's go rescue mom."

Her dad snickered, "Right, if anyone needs rescuing it's Loki"

Just as she was about to go down the stairs, her sister Opal bounded out of her room, "Hey, you were supposed to come see us!"

"We have a guest, you could always come down and greet him, you pain in my ass!"

Opal grinned, "That's right, I'm always going to be a pain in your ass, get over it!" She leaned back into the room and said to Crystal, "Come on, let's be sociable. Our boss, just commanded us to come downstairs."

Jasper rolled her eyes, "Whatever, pain in the butt!" She followed their father down the stairs. This was going to be interesting.

_Meanwhile..._

Loki tried to look as if he were actually paying attention to Janice's rambling. He was in a basic way, just enough that if questions were asked or he needed to respond, he could answer. He'd started to phase her out after Joshua had left the table and she had started talking about her rock collection. The god sipped at a cup of tea, that was actually very nice, nodding at the appropriate moments. He had perfected this move at his mother's knee at court in Asgard. All the while he was wondering what was going on with Jasper. He could make a double and send it upstairs or even listen in on the conversation by tapping into Jasper's thoughts. But no, she would know he was there and would, he was sure, be angry. Just then he heard low conversation coming from the stairs. Ah, finally Jasper was coming, now maybe her mother would stop trying talking about her collection of gems.

Jasper walked into the family room and saw that Loki was seated on one of the two love seats, while her mother was sitting on a wing back chair across from him. They both had cups of what she assumed was tea on the table in between them. Loki stood as she entered the room, he smiled as he motioned towards the spot next to his own seat. She grinned back at him as she sat down. She listened as her younger sisters came down the stairs, sounding like a herd of elephants. They came into the room and stopped to gawk at Loki.

"Loki, let me introduce you to my sisters, Opal and Crystal." Jasper gestured to each sister as she said their names.

Loki bowed slightly in acknowledgment, "Your daughters do you credit, Janice. They all have your beauty."

The older woman blushed, "Thank you very much, we are very proud of them."

Crystal stepped forward, holding her hand out, "Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Crystal."

Loki took her hand, kissing her knuckles instead of shaking her hand. Crystal's cheeks went red. Opal stepped up behind her older sister and held her hand out saying, "And of course I'm Opal."

Loki smirked, he took her extended hand and kissed her knuckles as well.

Jasper guffawed loudly, "Wow, you didn't do that for me!" She shook her head and continued, "Well, I guess making sure I didn't injure myself on that beach was acceptable gentleman like behavior."

Janice and Joshua turned their expectant eyes to their oldest daughter, silently demanding an explanation. Jasper laughed, looking to Loki for backup. He shrugged, a graceful movement coming from him. He chuckled silently as Jasper explained what happened on the plane and the beach. Well, a slightly edited version of the events. He found it amusing that she wasn't completely honest with her family, but he could understand her desire to keep some of what happened between himself and Jasper.

"So you mean to tell me, Loki took you from the plane because he thought you were interesting? Honey, I think she's leaving something out." Janice nudged her husband with her elbow.

"My dear I think you are correct. Spill it Jasper, the whole story!" Her father gave her the "Glare".

Jasper should have known. You could never leave anything out of a story. Ever! So she spilled.

Loki laughed.

A/N- I have to give credit to my husband for helping me with this chapter. Even though he will never read this, he helped me to get through the whole necklace thing. And yes comic book Sif did have golden hair, until Loki decided to cut it off. However it happened in the Marvel universe when she was an adolescent. Not to mention she wasn't a warrior yet. So I kind of mixed the mythological Sif with the Marvel comic version.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Who am I?... What am I?... Where am I?... Am I real?... Oh, I remember who I am. I am a powerful Valkyrie! I am Kára! My will shall be done! My lover shall go to Valhalla as he deserves..no matter what the All Father says! …Wait...I am no longer a Valkyrie, my body is gone! How can I get free of this prison?_

**Meanwhile...**

Jasper jumped, what in Hel's underworld was that? The pendant, that had been quietly laying just above the cleavage of her breasts, shook. She looked down at it, then looked up at Loki. He was looking at her, curious, but he didn't seem to be concerned. Loki had changed his attire to something more casual, his cape was gone, his armor, and gloves, gone as well. The metal was gone; all that was left was the leather, soft and conformed to his tall and slender frame. For some reason Loki had decided that he would hang around. Jasper couldn't really figure that out. Why would a god want to hang around a family of mortals? Maybe he was afraid she would go back on her promise? No, that couldn't be it, he could find her anywhere so there was no reason for him to stay. If he really wanted to, he could search through her mind. It would most likely hurt her, but why should he care. She was just a puny mortal. A mortal with some magical ability, but a mortal nonetheless.

"Jasper!" Loki yelled.

"What!" Jasper jumped and jarred her out of her thoughts.

"What in the world is the matter with you? I've been trying to gain your attention for several minutes."

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something..." The pendent gave another ominous shimmy. "Uh, yeah, this thing is shaking. I wonder if my grandmother is awake from her nap?" She started to get up, but Loki stopped her by appearing directly in front of her. She stood nose to nose to him, as he was bent down looking directly at her chest. Well, most likely at the necklace, but did he have to stand so close?

"The Valkyrie is becoming aware of her prison, she is attempting to find a way to escape." Loki reached down to touch the pendant. His long graceful fingers brushed her chest gently. Jasper shivered in response and attempted to step back. The backs of her knees encountered the chair and buckled. She fell back onto the chair with an un-lady like grunt.

Loki's lips turned up in amusement. "Jasper dear, I wasn't trying to maul you, just attempting to discern..."

"Don't worry about it, you just surprised me." Jasper interrupted with a self depreciating smile. She looked down at her lap. "Loki, why are you here?"

Loki blinked. Was this mortal asking a question of him? Of a personal nature? Yes she was. Interesting. He wondered if her should tell her the truth, instead of half truths and misleading answers. Yes, he would tell her the truth. It was the least he could do, especially after invading her mind so many times.

He really did think she was an interesting mortal and he wanted to understand her form of magic. He found her family amusing. And this whole Valkyrie thing was diverting. He did remember a thousand or so years ago, Sif disappearing for a short time and something about a Valkyrie being sentenced to death, but he'd lost interest in the whole thing. That was it and that is what he told her. She looked up at him with a surprised look in her eyes.

"Well, I'm glad we could provide you with amusement, my lord Loki."

"My dear Jasper, sarcasm does not suit you." Loki laughed

She stood up from the chair and looked up at him. "If I wasn't in my parent's home right now, I think I'd... oh never mind!" She turned away and stomped down the hall.

Loki grinned at her retreating back, oh this mortal was to easy to rile. He sat alone in the sitting room, as the rest of the family had wondered off after Jasper had "spilled her guts". Of course there had been questions tossed about, some of them had been answered, some weren't. After a couple of hours of back and forth discussion, Janice declared she was hungry and went to cook a meal. Her husband had followed, but he didn't stay long in the kitchen. The sisters flitted away at some point to other parts of the house, leaving Jasper and Loki to their own devices. Loki decided that he would allow his mortal to spend time with her family for a time, her grandmother was ill...he shrugged mentally, he wasn't without sympathy. He was completely capable of compassion, in fact not long before he found Jasper, he'd helped a few hapless mortals. Yes, one of them seem to be trying to avoid being apprehended by the local authorities. And the second one was a very ungrateful old woman, who he supposed was trying to get into a parking spot that was way to small for her large car. So he shrunk the car. It made sense to him, but the old hag wasn't amused. And last but not least was the little girl who had lost her cat, that one was easy, he simply found another cat nearby and changed the color to match the crying girl's description. Yes, the cat was the wrong sex, but the girl was so happy that she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled at the memory.

He brought his thoughts back to the situation at hand. His mortal was annoyed with him. Loki sighed.

The god listened for a moment, then blinked out of the room to the kitchen where Jasper was perched on a stool. She was talking to her mother as she stirred something on the stove. Whatever it was, it smelled divine. He made sure that he was invisible, it made things so much easier when he wanted to listen in on conversations. Not that their conversation was all that interesting at the moment, Jasper seemed to be giving her mother instructions on cooking.

"Mom, you really don't need to keep stirring the sauce, it's fine to just let it bubble away. Just keep the heat at about medium so it won't burn."

Janice rolled her eyes, "Yes, dear." She found it amusing that her daughter was giving her instruction on a recipe that she herself had given her years ago.

The younger woman laughed, "Sorry mom. I'm just feeling kind of ...weird." She fluttered her hands in with an air of exacerbation "Loki is..."

"Absolutely beautiful and charming and I'm sure I could come up with a few more flattering words, but I somehow think those aren't the kind of words you are looking for. Am I right?"

Jasper wasn't surprised that her mother hit the proverbial nail on the head. "Yup, you are correct. I don't get him. He pisses me off when he tries to invade my head and then he brushes it off like my feelings mean nothing. I can feel when he pokes around. He hasn't really tried to hard though. I know that he could blast right through my barriers, but he doesn't. I'm glad he hasn't but why do that, he could just ask me."

"But would you tell him what he wants to know? By the way, what does he want?" Janice moved over to the cutting board and began chopping vegetables for a salad.

"I told you mom, he saw the shielding over my house. It peaked his interest for some reason. He says he wants to learn my form of magic." She paused before continuing. "But I still can't figure out why a god would want to know about elemental magic. He gave me some line about our family being amusing...but I don't know if I believe his explanation. I really should take the time to talk to him, but I'm so worried about granny. I know she doesn't have much time left and I want to spend as much time with her as I can. Speaking of granny, I should go check on her." Jasper stood, went around the counter, and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek, then left the room.

"You can come out now Loki." Janice said with an amused smile.

Loki dropped the invisibility spell with a smirk, "My lady Janice, there is more to you then meets the eye."

"Jasper and Ingrid aren't the only ladies in the family with abilities."

"Indeed" Loki moved to one of the stools, the one that Jasper had vacated, and sat down, crossing his arms over his chest. He extended his long legs in front of him.

"Actually I'm surprised that she didn't sense you. She must have been completely distracted." She used the knife to scoop up the chopped vegetables and put them in a large glass serving bowl. "So why would a god want to learn magic from a mortal?"

Loki raised an eyebrow, then stood, "I'm bored."

"Really? Bored. You know, that doesn't surprise me." Janice chuckled lightly. She doubted that was the only reason.

"I've been exploring this planet and while there have been some beautiful sights, the most interesting so far has been that multicolored shielding over her house. I'd seen other similar sights, but her's stood out. Do you have the same talents?"

"No, she's always been very good at shielding, defenses of any kind. She also has some healing abilities. Those are her strongest, she has many other talents and not all of the magical. She's a damn good cook as well." Janice stated proudly.

Loki was very amused, he smiled in response, "Wonderful, so during my learning sessions, I hope to be fed well!"

"I'm sure you will be, as long as you behave yourself. If not you may find yourself on the back porch." Janice quipped with a smile.

"I shall endeavor to be on my very best behavior...Most of the time." Loki then disappeared.

Janice smirked in response. She could tell, her eldest was going to have her hands full.


	6. Chapter 6

I do apologize for the length of time between updates. I've recently acquired a job of sorts. Don't worry, I really will finish this story. Enjoy the chapter. =)

Chapter 6

Ingrid was sound asleep. Jasper sat in a chair that had been set near the bed and watched her grandmother sleep for awhile. The old woman's breathing was mostly easy, with an occasional snore. After awhile, Jasper stood and went to one of the windows and looked outside. She laughed to herself as a random thought entered her head, her luggage. She wondered if she could get Loki to transport it all here. She stood at the window for a few minutes, then left the room quietly, and headed back downstairs to look for the wayward god.

Loki perched comfortably on the roof of the house. He looked around at all the houses on the quiet street. Most were two story, like the house he was currently crouched on. Some were rambling one story houses, small by Asgardian standards, but one thing he learned in his time here on Midgard was that only the very wealthy had large homes. He let his mind wander as a soft breeze meandered around him, through his hair, rustling his clothes. The moon was a bright beacon in the sky, a crescent shape and wispy clouds blew across it's face. It was a calm night, peaceful, he was just recent becoming used to peaceful times. His time spent on this world had taught him that the peaceful moments weren't a bad thing, nor was it necessary to cause mischief or chaos at all times. Yes, sometimes it was amusing to cause some little tomfoolery, but it became boring. After a short time, he began to notice something that interrupted his calm, there was an itch in his mind. Loki pinned it down and found that it was his mortal, she was looking for him and she was using magic to find him. Intriguing. He smirked, then blinked her up to the roof with him. She blinked into existence on his lap. Her eyes wide with shock, then they widened in fear as her arms windmilled for a moment, then latched onto his shoulders.

"Oh my god!" Jasper screamed hysterically, "Why the hells are we on the roof!"

Loki gripped her tightly to his chest, "Please stop yelling in my ear. I will not let you fall. Stop squirming."

Jasper buried her face into his broad chest, gasping for breath. She stopped squirming and after a few minutes, her breathing steadied. Holy crap! Loki was holding on to her tightly, he was so warm and smelled really nice. Kind of a pleasant musky earthy scent, but warm, rich and honey-like. Amber.

It was kind of a surprise that he would smell of something so soft and welcoming. He sometimes put out stay-away-from-me vibes. She wondered what she would see in his eyes, so she looked up from his chest and saw that he was gazing down at her. Jasper met his eyes and smiled. She brought her hands up to his handsome face and pulled him down for a kiss. She meant it to be a small innocent buss, but of course it didn't end that way. By the end of the kiss, his hands were entwined in her hair and her hands were still holding his face, cupped around his cheeks. He was the one to pull away, he looked down into her face, her eyes were still closed. He watched her open them slowly and gaze at him with a dreamy stare. He blinked them down to the backyard patio, and onto a loveseat. He settled her more firmly on his lap and smiled at her. "Well that was an adventure, wouldn't you say?"

She blinked, then laughed softly, "Yes it was."

"I don't share very well."

Jasper responded, "Neither do I."

"Jasper, Loki, dinner is ready!"

Jasper startled for a second, then relaxed again into Loki's arms. "Yes Mom, we'll be there in a minute."

She tried to disentangle herself from Loki's arms, but was met with resistance. Only for a moment though, "Let's go eat. I'm hungry."

Loki relaxed his grasp on his mortal, helped her stand, then stood himself. "You go ahead, I will follow in a moment."

Jasper nodded with a smile, "Don't take to long." She went to the french doors and slipped inside quietly.

What was he thinking? He allowed her to kiss him! Why? His only interest in her was the magic she could teach him. That was all!...And maybe she would let him explore other parts of her... No! None of that! He told himself that several more times before going inside. He almost believed it...Almost.

_**A couple hours later...**_

Dinner passed without incident. _Thank the Gods!_ Jasper thought to herself as she loaded the dishwasher. Loki had disappeared as soon as dinner was concluded and she had no idea where he was. She wondered for a second if he was back on the roof, no he wasn't as predictable as that. She finished up the dishes, then leaned on the counter, her chin resting on her knuckles. She listened for a few minutes to normal noise of the house. Her sisters bickering over something seen on T.V, their parents laughing at their youngest daughters, the dishwasher swishing and humming. She opened her "other"senses to the house and the area around the house. No Loki, just the ghost that has been "living" in the attic for as long as she could remember. Granny was sleeping as far as she could tell. Jasper decided then that she would go check on her grandmother in a little bit. She went to the living room, sat down with her family. About half an hour later, Opal got up and left the room. Jasper heard her sister go up the stairs. Then a little bit later, her other sister left and she too went up the stairs. Then her mother...

When her mother finally returned to the living room, Jasper asked her, "Did you guys go see granny? Is she okay?"

Her mother hesitated before answering, "Yes we did and no she isn't okay, her time is near. She wants to see you next, then your father."

"Okay," She stood for a moment, then went over a kissed both her mother and father on the cheek. She then went up the stairs and paused for a moment at the door, "Come in, my dear," Ingrid called out.

Jasper smiled as she entered the room. Her grandmother was bolstered up with pillows, the sheet and blanket covered her legs. She knew the answer, but she asked anyway, "How are you feeling?"

"Old," Ingrid chuckled, "My advice to you my dear, don't ever get old."

Jasper sighed as her heart clenched, her granny was dieing. Her energy was slipping away, it wouldn't be long. She perched on the edge of the bed, leaned over, and kissed her grandmother's forehead. "I love you."

"And I love you. I've already said my good-byes to your sisters and your mother. Your father will be up, I think. I know my time is coming, very soon." The old woman's eyes glistened with tears that refused to fall."

Jasper winced at her granny's words. She wasn't ready for her to leave yet! She had so many questions. Why did this have to happen? No, she couldn't do this now. It could wait. Hysterics were not the answer. The young woman took a deep breath. "I have so many questions running through my head, about this necklace. Is Loki here because of it? Why our family?"

Ingrid smiled gently, "I can answer those, no he is not and because we were the only family left."

"But..."

"No more questions. Your father is coming now and I would have words with my son. Know this, you were always my favorite granddaughter and I will be waiting for you on the other side...When your time comes."

Tears began to flow down Jasper's face, she laughed, "Granny, I bet you said the same thing to Opal and Crystal!" She paused, wiping her nose on her arm, "And you are welcome in my home anytime. I'll let my shielding admit your spirit. I love you so much." She leaned down and hugged her grandmother tightly. After a few moments, there was a knock at the door. Jasper pulled away as her granny told her son to come in.

Joshua opened the door, his eyes already were full of tears. He dashed them away as he entered the room. Jasper left the bed and went to her father, hugging him tightly. "Love you daddy." She then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Jasper moved down the hall to her room, closing the door and locking it. She leaned against the door for a moment. Death, Change. They were both was a part of life, the circle. She hated change sometimes. Her grandmother had always told her that death was nothing to be feared. Jasper wasn't really afraid of death, it was the change of it. Did that even make sense? Yes, in a way it did. Her grandmother was moving on to a different plain of existence. She would no longer be present in this reality. And she hated that change.

She slip down the door to the floor and wept.

Loki watched his mortal weep. He was unsure of what to do, so he remained silent and unseen. He watched her pull herself into a ball, rock back and forth. He sent a duplicate of himself to Ingrid's room, invisible, to watch. Joshua was laying on the bad with his mother, his arms wrapped around the old woman. Her head rested on his chest, silent tears rolled down his cheeks. Loki could see her life slipping away from her. The old woman was losing her life at a fast pace and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Her breathing seemed to be calm, but he could see that her jaw was tense and knew that she was in pain. He dipped into her thoughts and was immediately bombarded with pain. It was enormous. Death would be a blessing for her. Then, all of a sudden, she spoke to him, in respectful tones, "_My Lord Loki, I greet you. If I could I would kneel, but you have caught me at a bad time_."

Loki was surprised, he hadn't been spoken to in such a way for a very long time. "_Priestess Ingrid, I greet you. Let go of your worries, your place in the underworld will be a pleasant one_."

"_Oh, that I know, I don't fear your daughter's realm, I worry for my family here. My granddaughter Jasper..._"

"_Be at ease, she will be safe, Mistress_." Loki replied soothingly.

"_Thank you, My Lord_..._Under dagar som komma, år som gå må lycka och glädje följa er två_" Then her mind went silent, her last breath eased through her lips and she was gone.

Loki was surprised,first, she spoke in Swedish, second by her sudden passing. But why would she say that? _Through days that come, years that go, may happiness and joy follow you two. _He didn't have much time to think on the words, because a moment after the old woman's passing, his mortal screamed.

Jasper felt her grandmother's passing and it tore her heart out with grief. A moment later she felt cool, gentle hands and arms lift her from the floor. Through her blurry, tear filled eyes she saw that it was Loki. She buried her face into his chest and sobbed uncontrollably. Her logical mind was pushed aside as her emotions took over. She didn't care that she would see her grandmother again when her own time was came. She wanted her granny her right now! The ache in her chest was exquisite in it's pain and at that moment she couldn't handle it. So she cried, screamed, pounded on Loki's chest, and he endured it all silently.

After what seemed like hours, she couldn't scream anymore, her eyes were swollen shut and her hands were held in Loki's. She became aware that Loki wasn't the only one in the room with her. Crystal, Opal, and her mother were there as well. She could hear her father out in the hall, talking to someone.

Her sisters were both on the bed, arms entwined around each other, their mother was sitting on the floor at Loki's feet. The room was quiet except for the sounds of her sisters sniffling, Jasper realized all of a sudden, that she had to pee so bad that her bladder felt as if it were about to burst. She scrambled out of Loki's arm's, leaving him surprised, hurdled over her mother towards her en-suite bathroom, and slammed the door.

A/N- Reviews are nice =)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jasper was washing her hands when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She flinched, it was not a pleasant sight. Her eyes were swollen and red, her skin pale, with red patches on her cheeks, her hair was a disheveled mess. After a few seconds of looking at her reflection in the mirror, she turned away. She had no idea how much time had passed and didn't really care, to tell the truth. Knowing that she couldn't hid in the bathroom for the rest of the night, she stepped away from the counter and left the room.

Loki stood as the door opened, admitting his mortal to the room. Jasper stood braced against the door, watching him. Her eyes were hooded and her lips thin with emotional pain. He moved towards her, but she tensed. He stopped a few steps away from her, he wanted only to comfort her, "Come to me."

Jasper sniffled, then made a small movement towards him, almost as if she were afraid, but couldn't resist his call. Her steps were hesitant and it felt as if he was a mile away, instead a few feet. When she reached him, she wasn't sure what to do. As if he sensed her confusion, he reached his arms out to her. She walked into his arms and let him wrap her in his strength. They stood like that for a few moments, then the door opened to her room and her father stepped in.

"Everything is taken care of." Her father said softly, almost as if he were talking to himself. Joshua moved to his wife and sat on the floor with her, taking her in his arms.

A/N- Sorry such a short chapter, this part needed to be over...at least mostly.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**A/N-**

It took awhile to figure out how to post this chapter. In the end I decided to cut it into a couple of chapters. The next chapter will be a short one and will contain what happened during the night after Ingrid's passing.

After a couple of hours of reminiscing, which Loki had remained silent for, the rest of the family left Jasper's room. She had changed into some pajamas, that she never wore, and climbed into bed. Loki had vanished his more cumbersome clothes,until he wore only a simple tunic like shirt and soft pants. He hadn't said a word, he had got into the bed with her, gathered her into his arms, stayed with her the entire night. When she'd woke in the morning, he was gone. She had showered, threw some clothes and ran downstairs to find her family around the table, her sisters, red eyed and sad. They looked like there had been trying to eat breakfast. It hadn't looked very successful. Loki wasn't anywhere to be found. Not on the roof or in the back yard. But her luggage was neatly piled in by the front door.

Later in the day Jasper and family went a funeral home to discuss the service for granny. She would be cremated, and her ashes would be returned to the family to disperse as they wanted. There would be no viewing at the funeral home, but there would be a get together at the family home. The rest would be a private ceremony for the family, a few of Ingrid's closest friends, and Kindred.

After finishing up at the funeral home, they decided to go to their favorite restaurant for lunch. Lunch was an uneventful occurrence, but Jasper found that she was actually hungry. She had a huge slice of cheese quiche, with a big green salad and a glass of iced tea. She wasn't able to eat desert, even though the chocolate cheesecake was calling to her in a very naughty way.

"Should I get the cheesecake to go?" She asked partially to herself.

"Why not, if I could I would, but my doctor suggested that I start cutting back on sugar." Her father responded ruefully.

"Yes, his blood sugar has been a little on the high side." Janice said as she gave her husband's hand a squeeze.

Jasper decided against the cheesecake and just as the waiter was coming to their table, a flash of green caught her eye. She turned her head and saw Loki making his way to their table, wearing a emerald green button down shirt tucked in to a pair of black pants, and a pair of highly polished loafer type shoes. He was wearing sunglasses and his hear was slightly windblown.

Jasper blinked.

"Oh, Loki, it's so good to see you. We were wondering where you had disappeared to this morning." Janice smiled when he got to the table. He pulled a chair from another table and sat down in between Jasper and her father.

Loki swept his sunglasses off like a pro and set them on the table. He smiled, "I had a few things that needed tending."

"I have a question for you, would you happen to know how my luggage came to be delivered this morning? I was told that it would be a few more days."

Loki smirked, "Oh my dear mortal, I think you already know the answer to the question."

Jasper laughed, "Thank you Loki, there were some very important things..."

"I know."

"That I will need for granny's funeral ceremony and.."

"I know."

Jasper glared at Loki, who was smirking.

Janice, Joshua, Crystal, and Opal remained silent during Loki and Jasper's exchange. Janice had an amused smirk on her face and Opal looked as if she were holding in her laughter by biting her lip.

"Wow, you two sound like an old married couple." Crystal said dryly.

Jasper's head snapped around, her eyes wide with shock and surprise, "I can't believe you just said that!"

Loki chuckled, "Maybe it's just wishful thinking on her part. Having a god in the family would be beneficial."

Crystal pretended to think about it, "Hmm, maybe...can you do card tricks?"

Loki broke into loud laughter. Janice giggled, Opal guffawed, and Joshua snorted.

Jasper shook her head, smiling, "Actually no, I'm not surprised you said that."

_**Later...**_

Jasper used her foot to put the porch swing into motion. It was dark and she was thinking about how she wanted the ceremony for her grandmother to go. She had already spoken to the members of her Kindred and they had all decided that it would be appropriate to allow Ingrid's granddaughter to perform the ceremony. Jasper was a little nervous, she was Wiccan, not Asatru. And honestly it had surprised her that the Kindred wanted her to perform the ceremony. It just wasn't done to have someone from outside Asatru lead a ceremony. It was usually the Gothi, a male priest or the Gythia, a female priestess that performed a ceremony such as this. In this case, the entire Kindred decided that Jasper would do it. They all knew that Ingrid had taught her granddaughters the ways of Asatru, even if they had all gone in different paths. Jasper worshiped the Norse gods and goddesses in a different fashion, but she knew what to do. Followers of Asatru or Asatruar as they call themselves, don't cast protective circles, nor do they call the quarters as Wiccans do. And honestly Jasper didn't feel the need to do either one most of the time, especially if she was at home. There would be no circle cast, no elements called, her grandmother's grave goods would be burned, a reading from the Havamal, and an offering of mead would be given to the Gods. It would be a simple ceremony, a heartfelt ritual.

As Jasper thought about the ceremony, she wondered if she could even call herself Wiccan. Her belief system was so in tune with the Norse tradition, but there were differences in the way she did things. She remembered the many times her grandmother's arguments had driven Jasper out of the room or house. The elements, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water were important to her. She felt they deserved to be included in ceremonies. As a child she'd felt the elements strongly, they responded to her. For many years, she had fought her grandmother's teachings, but eventually she learned to combine them with her personal beliefs. When Jasper had went to college, she joined a group on campus, consisting of mostly Wiccans. She eventually became a member of the coven there and in doing so, her grandmother finally accepted that her granddaughter would follow her own path to the Gods and Goddesses.

Loki watched his mortal from a comfortable perch on the roof of the house. He was vaguely concerned at first, then he dipped into her thoughts to find out why she was sitting outside alone. He made sure not to go to deep as he didn't want her to notice. Her thoughts flitted from worry about the ceremony to memories of her religious leanings. He pulled back and decided that he would put in an appearance. He grinned as he saw a skunk meandering in the trees behind the house. He could imagine the chaos the skunk would cause. No, having the skunk wonder into her Jasper's path would cause her to much upset and while he liked to cause mischief sometimes, he knew when to draw the line. He teleported himself down to the swing, he appeared next to her, sitting comfortably. And of course she jumped with surprise. He grinned, amused by the yelp she let out.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8.5

_The night of Ingrid's passing.._..

Jasper cried more then she had entire life. Her shirt was a sweaty mess and her face hurt from the contortions her mouth made.

Loki remained silent through it all. His eyes spoke volumes though. He knew grief.

She wondered if one could die from crying to much. Maybe from dehydration? She couldn't stop the tears that flowed from her eyes, down her face and onto Loki's chest.

His shirt was completely soaked.

The pain in her heart was all consuming and she didn't know if she would live. She wept, until finally body, exhausted, gave out. She fell into a deep slumber.

Loki held her until her unconscious sobs stopped. He put her down gently on the pillow, then vanished his shirt.

Jasper's sleep was interrupted by one dream and one dream only. It was a dream that she would remember for her entire life. Her grandmother Ingrid appeared to her standing on a foggy cliff over looking a fjord, smiling she held her arms out to her granddaughter. Jasper ran into her arms.

"_I love you so much granny, I'll miss you." _

"_I love you too and I'm so proud of you. Never forget that. You are the daughter of my heart." Her grandmother's arms were warm and soft around her. _

"_Be happy, don't grieve so. I will see you again my dear. Live a good life." Ingrid said softly. _

_Jasper couldn't form words to respond, she nodded and smiled. _

_Her grandmother pulled away gently, moved away into the mist and disappeared from view. _

Jasper woke, Loki was still next to her, his fingers entwined with her's. Her heart was still heavy, but it wasn't anywhere near as painful. She would survive and live as good a life as she could. She would perform her duty to protect the amulet. With the affirmation in place she fell back into a deep dreamless sleep until morning.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

_She stretched her non existent arms and legs. She remembered how strong her physical body was...so long ago. It would be strong again, maybe even strong enough to destroy the one who created this prison. Sif...Would she be on the other side of the walls of this prison? Would she remember what she did? _

**LLLLLLLLLLLLL**

Jasper sat in front of her computer, typing out an e-mail to a member of her grandmother's Kindred. The ceremony was to be held at his home, away from the prying eyes of the public. He lived on a large plot of land surrounded by a natural forest. She clicked send, then shut down her laptop. There was so much to do in such a small amount of time. She didn't have the time to bebop around on the internet as she really wanted to. Jasper leaned back in the chair for a moment to gather her thoughts, one thing that kept popping up was Loki's little stunt at dinner that evening. Right after everyone had finished dinner, a horrible smell enveloped the dinning room. It was an odor that everyone in the room recognized immediately, skunk.

"Why the heck are we smelling skunk?" Opal asked while holding her nose.

Jasper glared at Loki, "I'm assuming you are the cause of this one?"

"Why would you say such a thing?" The trickster queried innocently.

Joshua chuckled, "Maybe because we are all thinking the same thing!"

**LLLLLLLLLLLLL **

A/N- Sorry for the short chapter...I'm working on the next chapter now and hopefully I'll be able to get it up soon.


	11. Chapter 11

***A/N- Sorry for the length of time between chapters, I work a weird schedule.***

Chapter 10

Loki wandered the streets of his mortal's town. He needed to be alone at the moment and he did his best thinking while wandering. Jasper had kicked him out of her room and closed her mind to him. She said she needed to be alone to work on the ritual for her grandmother. He'd offered his assistance and had promptly been booted. Well, she was polite about it...

He thought about how he would have handled it in the past. He would have turned her into a rabbit and had her for dinner. Not really, but he would have thought about it. He was to fond of her to even think of cooking her. His lips curled into an amused smile.

The few people out and about for the evening were mostly older couples, with a few teenagers. It was a quiet night, a school night, he believed it was called. He continued his meandering both physical and mental, until her heard the squeal of tires behind him. The human male in the vehicle had stopped in the middle of the street, opened his door and then for reason's unknown to Loki, dropped a shiny black out of the car, then proceeded on his way. Loki moved to the side of the street as the car moved past, his eyes on the bag. It moved and there was a mewing coming from the sack. He sighed, he couldn't understand some mortals. He blinked to the bag and lifted it up, peering inside, a pair of jewel yellow eyes peered back. There was a cat, a kitten really, small and under-nourished, inside the bag. From what he could tell, it was black. As he lifted the small animal from the bag, the kitten immediately went limp, as if it's mother were carrying it by the scruff of the neck. The cat was filthy and definitely in need of a few good meals. He would be visiting the ass that dropped the cat in the road in such a way soon, but first he needed to find a home for the kitten. He thought for a second, Ah, his mortal would take care of the little creature. With a smile, he transported himself and the cat to his mortal's family home. He appeared in Jasper's room, where she appeared to be typing something on her computer. He waited for her to finish, while he scratched the kittens head. After a minute or so, she sat back in her chair.

"Jasper,"Loki said softly as he became visible.

She jumped slightly, then smiled as she turned toward him. "Hey there. Eventually I will get used to you just popping in like that..." Jas paused in her speech for a moment as she noticed what was in his arms, "Loki, is that a cat?"

She stood slowly and moved toward him. The cat started slightly as the chair moved, it's ears moved in the direction of the noise, then it turned and looked at her. The kitten let out a loud meow as Jasper held her hand out for the kitten to sniff.

"Where did you find him? Wait, do you know if it's a boy or girl?"

"No, I haven't a clue. I suppose I could have looked, but..." He shrugged, he held the kitten out to her.

"Well, there's no time like the present." She lifted the kitten and turned it's hind end smoothly, lifting it's tail. "It's a boy kitty." She pronounced with a smile. Jasper held the small kitten close to her chest, while she scratched under it's chin. The little black cat purred loudly as it cuddled closer to her body.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm allowed to have pets at home, because I'm taking you home with me." She said softly to the cat as she rubbed his little head.

"I'll need to go to the store and get some kitty supplies. Loki can you..."

"Yes, I will take charge of the wee beast. Although, I could just transport us to the store if you desire. No one would know we were there. You can take whatever you wanted." Loki responded with a raised eyebrow.

"I can't just go into a store and take stuff. It's illegal!" Her raised voice made the kitten mew and dig his little sharp claws into her t-shirt. Ouch! She gently pried his claws from her chest and re situated him.

Loki rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll just transport us there." Then did exactly that.

They blinked into existence in front of one of the local supermarkets. Her orange purse slung over her shoulder and shoes on her feet, the kitten still in her arms wasn't amused. He hissed and dug his claws into her right breast as she climbed up her body to perch on her shoulder. He hid his little face in her hair.

Jasper bit her tongue as the cat scrambled up her chest, then sighed in relief as kitty settled on her shoulder. She scowled at Loki, "We need to talk about your propensity for random transportation."

Loki grinned, then turned toward the entrance of the grocery store, the door slid open with a hiss. He turned, "Are you coming?"

Jasper sighed loudly as she reached up to make sure kitty didn't fall, she discovered that he was totally attached to her shirt and wasn't budging. "Goddess help me." She muttered as she followed Loki into the store.

A thought went through Jasper's head as she walked down the aisles of the grocery store. What did Loki get out of hanging around her? She'd asked him a couple of times and had received pretty much the same answer. Amusement. She was starting to think that there was more to it. Especially after the night her grandmother passed...

Loki wandered along slightly behind his mortal, glancing at the products on the shelves that caught his interest. He dipped into her mind shallowly, not enough to alert her, but just enough to figure out why she was so quiet. She was thinking about him, of course. He was somewhat of a mystery to her. He knew that eventually she would come to understand him. Loki followed as she turned the corner into another aisle and came to a stop in front of a large display of cat food. Cans, bags, and everything in between. He remained silent as Jasper dithered over what to procure for the little beast. And after what could have passed for an eternity in some places, she made her choice. He watched as she picked a medium sized bag, then move down to another display of plastic containers. Loki wasn't sure what they were for, but he followed along, silently.

"Loki, would you please carry this for me? I need to get a couple more items that aren't exactly light." Jasper held out the bag hopefully.

"Of course...but what else do you need?"

"A litter box, litter, a food and water dish...that will do for now. And when I get home, I can get anything else I need. Damn, I should have grabbed a cart." She grumbled as she pulled a bucket of litter from the shelf.

Loki stepped forward and picked up the bucket easily.

She smiled at him gratefully, "Thanks, I'll grabbed the litter box and bowls." Jasper snagged a couple plastic bowls, one blue, the other white. Along with a litter box. "And that is that for now, let's get this stuff paid for and get home." She reached up and scratched the kitten under his chin.


End file.
